03x08 - Alfa Giulia: No Turning Back

[bunniefuu]

[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]

ANT: I'm Ant Anstead.

I've spent my life bringing
iconic cars back from the brink.

Yeah!

But now every flip...

Hi! What the hell you got there?

...needs to make maximum profit.

I'm not paying you eight grand.
There is a number here.

'Cause after three years,

I'm so close to getting Mum and Dad
into their forever home...

That wall is wobbling.
Is that safe? Define safe.

...and it's costing
a fortune to finish.

There will be a point
the roof will just give up.

But to turn these bangers
into big bucks...

We in the scrap business now?
Don't be like that.

...and finally hand Mum
and Dad the keys...

Doesn't it look great?
It looks amazing.

I need my family...
Okay.

[CLANKS]
...and my mate Duncan on the tools.

[ENGINE WHIRS]
That's sweet, that is.

Because failure...
[CREAKS, SQUEAKS]

The wheels don't fit!
We have a problem.

...isn't an option.
There we go!

[ENGINE WHIRS]
Oh, yeah!

[ENGINE RUMBLES]
Whoo-hoo!

What a day!

[MUSIC PLAYING]

After nearly three years,

the front part of the house
is finally finished,

but my mum and dad won't move in
until there's a working kitchen.

Right, well, Duncan and I
temporarily propped it for now.

Okay. Glad you've done that.

Ben, the structural engineer,
has already condemned the space

where I eventually planned
to put the kitchen.

So I'm hoping he'll give the okay

to put a temporary one in
the smaller room next door.

The end of this beam
is actually supported

on the beam coming through
from the other room.

We need to introduce support
that takes the strain off this wall.

So, right now, that wall
is holding up that beam.

This beam and the beam
on the other side, yes.

If we continue to rely on it
to hold heavy loads,

eventually everything crumbles.

So if we deal with
the way these are saddled together,

something like a plate
on either side with some bolts,

just to take the stress away
from this bit of timber on the end.

In the long run,
the ideal solution would be

to have a post
tight against this wall

that supports the ends
of these beams. Oh, man.

I've got to make it safe,
but it's yet another job,

and unforeseen costs
I hadn't banked on.

So I need to turn my attention
to flipping some cars

and topping up the kitty.

However, no private sales
have caught my eye,

so I'm northbound to Kettering,
throwing caution to the wind.

I'm gonna go see my pal, Martin,
who is a used car salesman.

Now, Martin normally has this wild,

wacky and weird eclectic collection
of classic cars.

So this drive
is a little bit of a gamble for me.

I'm taking a punt,
a punt that Martin

has something on the forecourt
that's gonna be profitable.

Martin's been in the motor trade
since he was 18

and imports cars
from all over the world.

And there's Martin.

Martin. How are you?
Good to see you. I'm good.

How are you? Looking well.
Thank you. You are, as well.

I love coming to your toy shop.

So, I'm free to roam?
Yeah, of course. Yeah. Yeah.
Help yourself.

He's got around 100 cars in stock,

so there must be one
I can add value to.

Oh, Sunbeam Alpine.

Yeah, these are great cars.
Easy to sell.

Oh, MGA. Yeah, that is lovely.

It's a hardtop, which is a shame.

Oh, wow. Karmann Ghia.

New wheels, D bumpers,
blacked-out windows.

These are all super desirable.

But I need to find
a car that needs work,
or there's no profit margin.

What else have you got?
Um... What else have we got?

What about that Alfa?
What's the score with that?

Well, that's not actually
for sale yet.

You're a car salesman.
Everything's for sale.

What year is it?
It's a 1968 Alfa Giulia.


How long have you had it?
We've had it just over a year.

A year. Yeah. Why is it not
on the forecourt?

If you look inside,
we had a bit of a mishap.

We broke the steering box,

and it's been sitting here
ever since.

Okay. So it needs a steering box.
It needs a steering box, yes.

It's been in the country
for about five years.

Imported from Italy, obviously.

So it's a left-hand
Italian import. Yeah.

Oh, there's the old steering box.

How much is one of them?
I'm gonna guess about £1,000.

It's a grand for a steering box?
Yeah. Yeah. [WHISTLES]

So, it runs and drives.
Well, it will do
when there's a steering box.

It runs and starts,
but doesn't steer. It does, yeah.
Does it stop? Yeah.

If you could give me
five, ten minutes on my own.
Is that all right? Yeah.

All right, I'll come
grab you in the office.
Okay. Thanks, buddy.

Founded in 1910,

Alfa Romeo was synonymous
with Italian luxury

and high-performance motoring.

Unveiled in 1962,

the Giulia put all
of Alfa Romeos racing know-how

into a family saloon,

its painstakingly
engineered aerodynamics

earning it the tagline,
"Designed by the wind".

Do you know what?
There's an Italian design
simplicity with this car

that's just really hot right now.

And the interior
is pretty remarkable.

The seats are fantastic.
And these switches.

They just don't
make cars like this anymore.

I mean, left-hand drive might harm
the sale price in the end,

but if it's an authentic
Italian car,

it's not gonna matter
to an authentic Alfa buyer.

Oh, yeah. I really love
this little twin cam engine.

Thirteen hundred, revs really high,
aluminium head.

It's just a little bit
untidy in here.

This doesn't help,
sort of surface rust.

But it's not rusty,
it's not gone through.

Yeah, the grille's seen better days.

Barely any rust,
but the floor is dented.

I reckon someone's
thrown a jack underneath
and jacked it up.

Yeah, that could be
a problematic fix.

Yeah, this is interesting.
Alfa, strong brand.

I really like
the subtle colour as well.

Now, this is a problem.

[CHUCKLES] Oh, there it is.

That whole section's cracked off.

And if that's generally £1,000,
plus the labour,

and then there's no doubt
gonna be other things.

It's a great car
for the right buyer,

though as it's left-hand drive,
the audience might be more niche.

But I've seen beautifully restored
Giulias go for mid-teens.

The key is getting a bargain

out of this pro car salesman,
which is never easy.

If you were to put this

on the forecourt right now
and advertise it,
what price would it be?

Before we broke the steering box,

it was sold
for 16 and a half grand.

You got 16 and a half? Yeah.

That's way out.
There's no way there's


They do well. Not that well!
It's a nice car.

It's not.
It doesn't steer around corners!
[LAUGHS] It could be a nice car.

I still haven't driven it,
because I can't.

I don't wanna offend you,
or waste your time.

You won't offend me.
Make me an offer.

Seven? No.

Eight and a half, it's yours.
Seven and a half.
I'm not gonna move.

It's yours.
Done. Seven and a half grand.

That'll do. Perfect. Okay.

Sixteen grand
down to seven and a half!

It's a good deal,
if you excuse the fact

that it can't steer or start.

But it does look awesome.

I am excited.
This car is gonna yield profit

'cause right now, retro is in.

This is retro cool.

There is gonna be a customer
who's gonna want this car

because of everything it represents.

It has a racing soul.

There is racing DNA in the Giulia.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

All right?
You've pumped your tyres up?

We've got to put this one on skates.
But we'll come to that in a second.

But for now,
drink in our 1968 Alfa Romeo Giulia

one-point-three TI.

TI. It's the TI that makes it cool.

It stands for
"Turismo Internazionale..."

And that's the best Italian...
Get you! I know, it's not very good.

Look at it. It's beautiful. Hmm.

[LAUGHS] You don't like it?

It's like a box.
It doesn't know whether
it's coming or going.

That's rude for a start,
because this is a proper slice
of Italian heritage.

Alfa Romeo has a history
of creating race cars.

They've taken
their race car knowledge and put it
into a usable family saloon.

Come on.
What, you're saying that's cooler
than my dad's Marina Estate?

Yeah, I think that's cooler
than a Marina Estate.

[LAUGHING]
I think that's way cooler.

Let's start with the bit
you know you love,
which is the engine.

Alfa Romeo twin cam engine.

Look at that.
That is a a work of art, innit?

I mean, this is a proper engine.

I'm liking it more. Right.

I mean, we have a bit
of rust spots on here,

but what I'm thinking is maybe
add some flair into the engine bay.

For example, just paint
the little Alfa bits in red,
give this a bit of red detail,

put something in it that says
this has got, yeah, Italian flair.

A bit of Dolce & Gabbany,
or whatever his name is.

[LAUGHS] No, no. Flair. Class.

Yeah, I'm liking that.

What's the matter with the grille?
Yeah, the grille's broken.

Remember, we haven't talked about
how much I paid for it yet.

No. Well, I wasn't even
gonna go there

because I think
there's something missing inside.

Hmm. That's the reason
I've put it on the skates

because, at the moment,
it doesn't steer.

On the face of it,
that might feel like

a problematic issue on a car.

[BOTH CHUCKLING] Only you
could talk yourself out of this.

Well, no, my job now
is to talk you into it.

The reason that I've been able
to pick this car up for great value

is because it doesn't have steering.

So our issue is, is that
we are gonna have to fork out

probably £1,000 for
the steering part we need. Yikes.

We've bought this car,
it doesn't run,

hasn't got a steering column...
It does run. It doesn't steer.

We don't know whether it runs
because you haven't heard it.

Shall I give you
the financial reason why
this makes sense? You best had.

They had a buyer agree
at £16,000. Jeez!

So it's a £16,000 car.

Go on. What did you pay for it?
What do you think I paid for it?

Probably £13,000.

We paid £7,500...

[TAPS CAR]
...for this Giulia.

Pretty good, right? Wow.

I'm gonna need a hand
putting it in the barn.
Do you know why?

Well... [BOTH CHUCKLE]
Because it doesn't steer.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Right. Stable? Yeah.

First job we should go to
is the big one, the steering.

Now, two things worry me about it.

Firstly, we're inheriting
someone's half-done job,

and you know what that means.

Yeah, I mean, are all the bits here?

Now, the column is in the boot.

And if you look at it...
Yeah, you can see how this works.

This column enters the c*ck,
turns the wheel,

that rotation is then
converted by this worm drive,
which is damaged,

down this column
that attaches to the steering arms
that rotate the wheels.

It's a good job it happened
when they were moving
around the yard.

If you're driving at speed
and that steering suddenly fails,

you're in a hedge.

I mean, that is
a catastrophic failure.

And it's basically exploded.

Yeah, I mean, all this
aluminium casting's all just gone.

So what we should do

is do an analysis
of the entire steering system.

So I say we rip the wheels off,

analyse the steering,
see if there's something
that's caused this.

Get hold of that wheel
and just go left to right.

Oh, yeah. I mean, you can see
exactly how it's been engineered.

Yeah, the steering column,
the bit that's broken,

obviously passes
through the bulkhead,

bolts securely to that inner wing,

a spline attaches a little arm

that joins a midway arm,
and then two track rod ends.

Right, just keep turning it again.

Your rod end's
not bent or anything, is it?

No. This all moves lovely.

The steering
on that front axle is fine,

which means our problem...
Is our steering box.

Right, I'll put my attention
on securing this part.

If we can get the part.

On your average car,
this would cost a few hundred quid,

but because this particular Alfa
Giulia is no longer manufactured,

parts are rarer
and often more expensive.

I mean, it turns out
that the casting failure

on the Alfa Giulia
is quite a common problem.

People talk about it on forums,
and they put it down to the casting,

the fact that
the aluminium is porous

and the air inside the metal
makes it weaker.

So the good news is
it has identified

and isolated the issue
to the steering box itself.

The bad news is
it's not a readily available
off-the-shelf part.

Well, certainly not in the UK.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Right, I now know
everything I need to know

about Alfa Giulia steering boxes.

Firstly, it is a known issue
and it's prone to failure.

That's all good,
but did you get one?

It turns out that
I couldn't get one in the UK.
So we haven't got one.

Then I did find one
that's available in Italy.

So what I do know is
I have spent a thousand pounds.

The problem is, is that
there are multiple columns.

So depending on the year and model,
it depends on the length.

So, we've done
the thousand pounds...

And we hope that
the right one arrives.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

So, while we're waiting for the part
that comes from Italy, or not,

let's move on to the next big thing,

which I think...
Yeah, let's tackle the dent.

The dent in the floor.
I was just looking at that in there.

Right, well, here,
on that jacking point...

Move that, move that.

Mate, why can I see daylight?
Yeah.

In my defence,
I didn't check it from the inside.

From the underneath,
it looked like a jacking dent.

It is definitely a jacking dent.
You can feel it. [LAUGHS]

But I didn't realise
there were holes.

Let's get this seat out of the way,
get the carpets out of the way,

and let's take a closer look
at what we're dealing with,

which is a rusty Alfa.
Which I'm not surprised about.
I'm gonna get you glasses.

All Alfas are rusty.
That's part of the point
of being Alfa.

You got that?

See how damp that is?

Yeah. And it hasn't rained.

Ew! Oh, yeah, this is done.

Do you know what?
I think we have to commit
to taking this off.

How's that got wet?

Probably through that hole.
Let's hope it's just water.

[CHUCKLES]
Ooh!

Right, I'll get a scraper.
Get that trim off
so we can lose that inner panel.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

You know,
I think the best thing to do

is beat it into shape and then
see how big the hole is after.

[BANGING]

Right. I think the safest thing
is to plate this
and lose that grommet hole.

Yeah. That's probably where
all the water was getting in.

[FIZZING]

A structural problem like this
is a straight MOT fail.

[FIZZING]

There you go, dude.
Kept it so the grommet fitted.

Looks a bit better, doesn't it?

Well, it's definitely stronger,
and it's giving it a reinforced
jacking point.

I reckon, hit that
with a bit of anti-rust paint. Yeah.

I'm gonna have to order
some new underlay. Yeah.

Warm. It's warm, man.
That's why I'm gonna pass
the paint job over to you.

Which gives me time
to bring Mum up to speed
on the kitchen situation.

Right, this room is where I think

we should put
a temporary kitchen. Okay.

The problem is, is that,
structurally,

this beam here
and the one in the kitchen

are two separate beams
resting on each other.

Is that safe? Define safe.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]

Is it going to collapse on us
baking and cooking in here?

It's safe for now, yeah.

Ben, the structural engineer,
has asked us to reinforce
this joint here.

So we have to somehow
join those two beams,
probably a bracket,

and then, ultimately,
this room needs a post.

It's really quite a job, isn't it?
It's a big job.

But we shouldn't let the job
slow down you guys moving in.

And there's no time like the present
to be getting on with it.

Right, pop a screw in there
so it can't be knocked out.

So, if you imagine
all the weight that's above us,

this is the main beam that supports
the majority of that weight.

And that joint is the failure point.

The problem is,
this beam is a completely different
dimension and shape to that beam.

So I'm gonna have to make
a completely bespoke bracket.

I think the easiest way for me
to make an accurate bracket

is to have it laser cut.

It's a fix that will cost
upward of £200.

But the alternative,
it doesn't bear thinking about.

We're asking this bracket
to do a lot of work.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Yo!
A package has arrived from Italy.

So, is this our steering box?
I hope so, 'cause I only ordered
one thing from Italy.

Hopefully, it was
good enough to determine

the right size steering rack.

It looks nice and new.
[CHUCKLES] It's well wrapped.

Make sure there's no other bits.
Nothing else in there.

Is that longer? It is longer!

Oh, no, wait a minute.

Yeah, now it's the same size.
That's the right one.

Now we just need to work out
how to put it back in the car,

hopefully using everything
that's on this table.

[CHUCKLES] With nothing left over.

First, we feed the steering column

through a hole in the bulkhead

so it enters the c*ck
where the driver sits.

Okay. Right, you ready? Yep.

You got a hold of it at that end?
Yeah. Hang on, hang on.

I need to point it down for a bit
as much as I can.

Yeah, you're gonna hit the pedals.

Despite using an old-school
recirculating ball steering box,

rather than
the rack-and-pinion system,

Alfa Romeo's engineers
achieved remarkably direct
communicative steering

with no power assistance.

We're in! Phew!

Right, if you can dive in
the wheel arch now,

I'll punch the bolts through
if you put the nuts on. Yeah.

[CLANKING]

Got it?

With the steering column secured
we can now attach the steering box

to the driver's side
of the engine bay.

Can you just put your finger
on the back of that, Ant?
Yep, done.

[TOOL CRANKING]

Lovely. There you go.

Now that's in place,
we can start to assemble

the steering column housing...

...which simply slides on.

And then I can add
the steering wheel.

Oh, no. What's happened?

This has to go in before we bolt
the steering box in. [SIGHS LOUDLY]

Yeah, we need the column low enough

to slide this portion over
and then lift it back in.

That's the trouble,
when somebody else
has taken it apart,

and you don't know the order
that it goes back in.

[SIGHS]
We gotta take it all out again.
Yep. Unbolt it.

Idiots.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

ANT: Yeah,
that's nice and loose now.

After wrongly fitting
the steering box on the Alfa,
we're back on track.

She fits! DUNCAN: Excellent.

Right, let's bolt it back in again.

[TOOL CRANKING]
Lovely!

Right, chuck us
the steering wheel. Got it.

So, what we'll do is,
we'll work out the centre.

Now, first thing we wanna do

is get an accurate centre
of our steering.

So wind it all to one end...

Right. One turn...

two turns, three turns.

It's almost four. Like 3.9 turns.

Which means we go back

one...

Almost two.

That is the centre of our steering.

So now we can attach the spline.
Right.

The spline is crucial
for securing the steering in place,

connecting our newly-fitted column

to the Alfa's original
steering system.

It does line up. It means
our steering's definitely central.

[TOOL CRANKING]

Right. Before I split-pin this,
could you just turn the wheel? Yeah.

Fingers clear?
It should all move nicely.

How does that feel?
That is silky smooth.

Right, go back in the centre.

Right, let's split-pin that.

That is it. She is fixed.

This cowling really tidies it up.

Nice!

Whoo-hoo!

Dunc, pass us the centre, boss.

Right, don't get your sticky fingers
all over that. It's so pretty.

[THUDDING]

That is it.
That is the steering finished.

That's the reason
the car didn't sell.

[TOOL CRANKING]

Right. Seat's in.

Right, let's give her
a little drive. [CHUCKLES]

No, no, I can...
Age. Who's the oldest?

Well, you're the oldest. Right.
There's no doubt about that.
[BOTH LAUGH]

You're pulling age rank on me? Yeah.

And it suits me.
Actually, it does suit you.

I never get to drive them.
Come on, start her up.

[ENGINE STARTING]

[ENGINE WHIRRING, REVVING]

She sounds all right, you know.

That little twin cam's lovely.
I know. It's all about the engine.

Right, come on, then. Pull her out.

[ENGINE WHIRS, SQUEAKS]
Whoa! Ooh!

Let's go again.

[ENGINE WHIRS, SQUEAKS]

Hang on, hang on, hang on.
Your clutch is down?
Yeah. Look. Fully down.

How does the clutch pedal feel?
It doesn't feel brilliant, mate.

Pump the clutch
and then try and pop it in first.

[ENGINE WHIRRING, PUMPING]

[ENGINE WHIRS, SQUEAKS] No.
No, I don't like the sound of that.

All right, k*ll it.

Oh, man. Don't tell me
we have a clutch issue.

You've nobbled it, haven't you?
That's the last thing we need.
[SIGHS]

What is it with you and buying cars?

All right,
let's get it up in the air
and look at the clutch.

[LIFT WHIRRING]

Could have done without this.
Agreed.

You know what,
the bottom of the belt housing
has an access panel.

Let me take that off
and see what's going on.

Mate, this is turning into
a major... What's it look like?

It looks like an Italian clutch.
[CHUCKLES]

Right, very gently,
just press the clutch pedal.

I mean, it feels like
it's got a lot of pressure.

All right, go on,
then her start up again.

[ENGINE WHIRRING]
Right, you ready?

Go on, then. Try and put it in gear.
Clutch down.

[ENGINE WHIRS, SQUEAKS]

No! Stop, stop, stop, stop!

[GROANS]

[SIGHS LOUDLY, CHUCKLES]
[EXHALES]

Mate...
We've gotta do a clutch.

I'm going off old cars.

Let's take the gearbox out.

If I drop the gearbox mount,

gonna have to take
the prop shaft off.

I've gotta take this,
all this shrouding off around
this gear stick as well, then.

I'll tell you what, if you
disconnect everything in the c*ck

so that the gear lever
can pass through the floor,

I'll undo everything under here.

[CRANKING]

I know you take the mick
out of me being old. Yeah.

How long was this car stood for?

What are you talking about?

You're gonna have to
bear with me on this,

but there could be a chance

that the clutch
has welded itself to the flywheel.

So you think the clutch is seized

'cause it's sat
in the wrong environment
for the last two years?

Possibly. If we start it in gear
with the clutch down,

the torque of the engine
might free the clutch plates off.

Everything we're looking at so far
points to needing a new clutch.

Get them sanded discs.

So, flywheel... Yeah. ...metal.

Cold environment condensates.

Friction plate next to it.

Clutch plate, pressure plate.

Right, so the pressure plate
is pushing the friction plate
onto the metal surface.

It's left for a couple of years
and it binds. Yeah.

So you reckon,
start the engine in gear,

and that rotation is enough
to shock it and free it up.

If that's what
the diagnosis is. Mmm.

It's a big if.
It's that or the gearbox out.
Look, I'll give it a go. All right.

[GROANS] Oh, Dunc!

If this ingenious fix
from Duncan works,

not only will it save me
almost 200 quid on a new clutch,

but Duncan will have some
serious bragging rights.

[METAL CLANKS]
That wasn't very gentle.

I'm not feeling very gentle,
to be honest.
[BONNET SLAMS]

Cross them fingers. Ready?
I'm ready.

[ENGINE SPLUTTERING]

[ENGINE WHIRRING]

Yes!

Don't tell me that worked.
[LAUGHING] Yeah!

Shut up! Put it in reverse.

[ENGINE WHIRRING]

Yeah!

[ENGINE WHIRRING]

[LAUGHING]
Oh, my God, that has saved us
loads of time and money.

Old but gold.

I bow to seniority.

And the other
mature member of the team
is also hard at work

sorting out the bespoke bracket
I need for the beams in the kitchen.

Are you Stuart? Good to meet you.
How you doing? And you.

Got it all loaded.
Peer in through that window.

You can watch it cutting
as we speak. Oh, wow.

[MACHINE WHIRRING]

Using my measurements,
the laser generates temperatures

of over 3,000 degrees Celsius
at cutting point.

Brilliant. Slightly warm.

Okay, all done.

Right, we'll just
bend this into shape
and it's all ready for you.

[MACHINE WHIRRING]

It's like butter.
Just like butter.

If you bend it too far,
can you bend it back?

You can bend it back.
You have to be careful.

Lovely.
That's a solid bracket, isn't it?

Solid. Brilliant job.

With the mechanics
on the car sorted,

I need to get this Alfa
looking presentable and profitable.

So while Duncan gives the bonnet
a new lease of life

with a fresh lick of paint,
I'll take a look at the grille.

Now, the grille
is the face of every car.
It's the most identifiable bit.

You look at the front of this grille
and you know immediately
this is an Alfa Romeo.

And the problem with our grille
is these fins are damaged.

The shiny bits,

they're held on by a rivet
through these two little tabs.

And the rivet's corroded,
the head of the rivet has come off.

Yeah, I just need to re-rivet it.

Now, the rivet
has this top hat section.

That acts as a kind of washer.
That goes on the top surface.

And when you activate the rivet g*n,
it bunches and pulls that up,

compressing and squeezing
between the panels.

The problem is, is that these
have to be riveted from reverse.

So the head of the rivet
is on this side.
And that's the strongest part.

[WHIRRING]

Yeah, that's lovely.

The car's really taking shape,

but Duncan and I need to get
the bespoke bracket fitted

to make the temporary kitchen
safe for Mum and Dad.

You'd almost say
that was made for it.

[CHUCKLES] It's lovely. Look.

Right, we've got to raise it. Yeah.

Right, let's get another
acrow in there.

To get the second part
of the bracket in,

we need to lift
this centuries-old beam,

which is currently supporting
around 10 tonnes of weight above.

Right, now go up again.

With 30 years' experience
working on heritage homes,

Duncan is exactly who I need
on this job.

And we're just gonna raise it
a millimetre at a time.

Once in place, the bracket will help

support the point load
and weight distribution
of that wall.

That wall is wobbling.

[TAPPING]
Don't tap it!

'C5ause we've got
no weight on it now.
It's all on the acrows.

I mean, I can see a gap now.

We need six mil,
'cause that's the bracket.

Probably seven mil
to get it in there.

[CRANKING]
What is that noise?

[CRANKING CONTINUES]

This worries the pants off me.

Just taking it up a little bit.
You should be able to get yours up.

Oh, my gosh. Look at that lift.

Right, now cranking right up.

Oh, my gosh. It's lifting.

[EXHALES HEAVILY]

We're lifting the whole house
on the middle beam.

ANT: I am sweating.
[DUNCAN CHUCKLES]

Right, I think that's it.

Oh, my gosh.

[CHUCKLES] You can see
the light through there.

Right...

As soon as we bang it in,
it ain't never coming out.

[LOUD CLANKING]

It isn't coming out.
Is that going?

[CLANKING CONTINUES]

Oh, man,
the whole ceiling's wobbling. Yeah.

That'll do. You're there.
Is that in? Yeah.

Now the bracket's in place,
it's time to loosen the acrows

and hope that everything holds.

Now this, in theory,

should put all the weight above us
back into where it was.

[POPS]
Yeah, this acrow's now loose.

Man, that is in there. Phew!

That is our bracket.

That's it. I don't know
what you was worried about. Hmm.

[BOTH CHUCKLING]
Still standing.

Well, yeah.
Perfect. Forget about it.

With the house secure for now,
I keep reminding myself

that this alpha
once had a £16,000 offer.

And so far we've spent
just over a grand.

So to keep my potential
profit margin as high as possible,

these final fixes need to be smart.

So what I'm thinking is,

as a nod
to Alfa's racing heritage,

we place a couple of these
rally-style fog lamps on the front.

And bear with me.
These were 30 quid.

So surely that is gonna add
more than 30 quid in value.

In fact, it transforms
the whole face of our car

and makes it look like a rally car.

What say you?
Where's your drill?

We're definitely doing this?

Yeah. That was a very long silence.

[WHIRRING]

Whoo-hoo! I love it.

Right, let's get those wired in

and stick a little switch
on the dash.

Right, I've wired
power to the spotlights,

to this little remote button here.
If I join that...

Yeah, look at that!
Rally spotlights.

And Duncan's got a clever way
to spruce up the engine

with what looks like
his missus' nail varnish.

Just gonna pick these letters
out in red,

just to give it
a little bit of Italian flair.
It doesn't cost a lot of money.

I think a lot of the Alfas did have
this picked out in red originally.

Little touches like this, I think,

just makes it look like
you've taken a bit of care over it.

I want to keep
that Alfa Romeo flair going

with some quintessential
Italian racing stripes.

I tell you what. That does make
all the difference, doesn't it?

What, ten quid's worth of tape?
I don't even think it's that.

Just lifts it, doesn't it?

Hey. I'll tell you what.

It's amazing
what a couple of stripes does.
Definitely go faster.

Makes our Alfa stand out.

I think that's it.
I think she's ready to sell.

Well, let's get it outside,
give it a clean.

Now, we bought this Alfa Giulia


As a non-steering...
Non-running...

But epic car, right?
It is quite a cool car.

The most expensive bit
was the steering.

In fact, on all the mechanicals,
including the steering,

one thousand and thirty-seven pounds
and twenty-six pence.

It was a risk,
and it was a big job.

It's a hefty price, big job.
But look what it's done.
It's transformed the car.

Then we've got the spotlights,
bit of wiring,

the switch for the inside, a relay,
comes in around 40 quid.

And then I've got a category
called pretties.

The pinstripes.
Obviously, a bit of cash
for Wendy's nail varnish. Yeah.

So, as a grand total,
we've spent,

and bear in mind
the steering was a thousand of this,
£1,223.55.

Which means, right now,
she owes us £8,723.

I mean, I don't know
what these sell for.

We do know. Two years ago,
someone was willing to pay £16,000.

Yeah... And yes,
the market's softened.

If we get a ten, 11 offer,
I'll bite their hand off.

That's money into the house,
money back into the pot
to go get another car.

But before we think
about selling her,

we've got to do the one thing
this car has not done
for two years.

[ANT TAPS CAR]
Drive it.

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]

You know how when you become
the parent of a dog? Yep.

You don't choose the dog, right?
The dog chooses you. Yeah.

You know what I mean by that?
Yeah. Right.

I feel the same way
about this Giulia.

I suppose this car chose you
'cause you didn't go out
to buy one, did you?

You took a big risk
because the steering was expensive.

It handles brilliantly, doesn't it?

Right. Got a nice big stretch.
How quick do you think it is?

Only a little 1300, though.
There's more than enough power.

[ENGINE WHIRRING]

That gearbox is absolutely superb.

That little revving engine.
How does it handle, though?

[EXHALES] I'll tell you what,

I can chase some bad guys
through the streets of Rome.

Do you reckon,
now we put the steering in,

this car is capable
of a spin around in here?

Yes or no? Yes or no?
Say yes or no. Yes!
You reckon it is? Yes, yes.

It is!
Quite a good turning circle.
That is impressive!

Whoo-hoo!

Silverstone,
the home of British racing,

as well as this year's CarFest.

With over 90,000 visitors expected,

I'm hoping the right people
will be in the room.

Oh, look!

I am so glad we put the stripes on.

Just so easy to lose a white car
in an auction room. Yeah.

But now it's got
a little bit of flair.

Yeah, I wasn't that keen on this,
but now, now it's all done...

Do you acknowledge now that
that's a cool car? Yeah. Yeah.

Let's hope that Alfa buyer's here.

Right, this is it. Right.
Let's sell our Alfa. We got this.

A year ago, this car
was about to be sold for 16k.

I just hope the left-hand drive
doesn't put off
any potential buyers.

We need to clear £8,723
to wash our faces.

AUCTIONEER: On to lot number 503
for you, then, the 1968...

the Alfa Romeo Giulia here,
the 1300.

Telephone bids coming through.

And what shall we say for this
to start, ladies and gentlemen?

Interest here with me, then.
I can open here at just £4,000.

The opening bid just £4,000.
Here at £4,000.

Four-two online, now.
With you in Norwich. £4,500.

Go on. At £4,500.

Yes, four-eight you are. At £4,800.

Oh, man, the bidding is slow.
£4,800. Anyone at five?

Telephones are in. £5,000.

We're online over there
at five grand.

Come on. Five-five.
There's a lady in the room.

Five-five? £5,000. [EXHALES]

Come on. Creep up. Creep up.
Here we go.

Six thousand two hundred.

Six-four. Six-four.

[EXHALES] Oh, my gosh.
It's creeping up. Six-four.

The guy in the blue shirt,
he's one of the bidders.

Six-five. Six-seven.

Six-eight with you.
Come on. The guy in the blue shirt.

Let's go, one more!
Let's go, one more!

We sell, then. Ah!
Take your number anyway.

Six thousand eight hundred, then.

[CLACKS]
That's yours. £6,800.

That ain't fair.
We've lost nearly £2,000.

Oh, man.

I was convinced
that Alfa was a good buy.

Why? Why? It's not fair.

They say a car is only worth
what someone will pay for it.

But I disagree because somebody
has got an exceptional Alfa Romeo

at an exceptional price.

I'm proud of the car.
I think the car looks amazing.

And someone's gonna be driving,
you know, that car

with a huge smile on their face.

That's the only bit
of positive I can take from it.

Ooh. It's a tough one to take.

Oh, man.

But you know, I'm stood here
next to a Bentley and a Rolls-Royce

and, you know, these cars
didn't do that well either, so...

You've just got to
ride with the market, and right now,
the market's down.